What If Part 2
by Dusty Lightbulb
Summary: Part 2 of multi-part series.  What if Padme had lived?


"You're up." Obi-Wan said, "I am going to the market with Wosad, the twins are still sleeping."

Padme squinted, trying to adjust to the sun creeping into the kitchen. She looks down at the table where obi wan is sitting. As she stares at the cup he's holding, Wosad, their generous host, walks in and passes her. He looks at her for a moment as he joins obi wan at the table. "Padme, would you want to come with us?" Padme doesn't respond. Wosad looks over at Obi-Wan, who puts his down and sighs.

He begins with what is one of his many lectures. "Padme, I understand you're going through pain. We both lost someone dear to us. But you MUST be strong. Anakin would have wanted you to move on with your life."

"Do you really understand? I used to think that saving the republic was the most important thing in my life, and then it became Ani. One day passed and everything is gone! I try to move on, but what we are doing now is living a lie. We will forever be stuck in a world where our failures and losses will haunt us every day. I can't live like that. How can you?"

"It is hard now for both of us, but we have each other and I will always be there for you. A time will come where we will overcome this. The war has just begun; you can't give up when no one else has yet."

Padme looks at the table again. Tired she closes her eyes and puts her hand over her face. Wosad looks at her, waits for an appropriate amount of time to pass in order to speak without feeling disruptive. He is focused on Obi-Wan's cup and opens his mouth to breathe in. "Padme, there is much hope in saving the republic. You have more power than you think."

"What is there to do?"

"Obi-Wan will find a new apprentice. His meeting with the remaining Jedi are critical, have faith."

"This has nothing to do with me. I no longer hold power, the senate is ruined and I am an enemy of the republic and my husband."

"Your children are important in this. They have the power your husband still holds."

"You want me to raise my children to learn the same power that tore apart my family? I will turn my children against their father. I will not do that!"

Obi-Wan saw the opportunity and continued where Wosad began. "Padme, they will not hate their father, and they will not become like Anakin."

"I cannot have them learn the force. I see their father in them every day."

"They turn 5 this year, there is no better time for them to start learning. I will teach them everything."

"Just as you taught Ani how to turn against us?"

Obi-Wan paused, hurt yet determined to win the argument. He needed a new way in. "Your pain is understandable, but your children can see it and they will hurt too."

"If they are to learn the ways of the force, they will not learn from you. I will not lose more of my family."

"Then we can have them trained by Master Yoda. We will have to move."

"Why will that matter if we live in fear now?"

Wosad and Obi-Wan looked at each other with a loss of words.

* * *

><p>"Concentrate and succeed, you will."<p>

Luke starts to squint and look harder at the large fallen tree on the ground. Distracted by the thought of what is next, his eyebrows push down and he lets out a heavy sigh.

Yoda cuts in and pushes the tree away from him with the force. He turns and looks at Luke. He takes a few steps closer and studies the ground before beginning another lecture that may or may not get through to Luke. "Distraction is everywhere. Clear your mind, you must."

"But Master Yoda, I am not sure how to keep all other thoughts out. There's just so much to learn, I feel I will never learn everything there is to know. It's just so hard."

"Ah, despair, I hear. A Jedi never worries about what is next. Patience, you must have and learn, you will. Try again, and this time focus, you will. Do not think about tomorrow, most important, the tree is right now." Yoda pushes Luke further up, closer to the tree. He backs up and sits on a chopped down tree trunk and waits.

Luke looks at the tree. The first thing that comes to his mind is tomorrow and what will happen. Then he stops and closes his eyes. His face is relaxed and his arms rest at his sides. Slowly, he raises his arm towards it waiting for him on the ground. He begins to feel the power in his arm and takes lighter breaths.

His mind is clear, overwhelmed by the power running through his veins. Without realizing it, the tree begins to roll towards him. Yoda gets up and stares at the tree. Suddenly, it rises in the air. Hearing the branches loosen after lifting from the ground, Luke opens his eyes. He becomes overjoyed and looks over at Yoda. "It worked!" He slows lowers his hand until the tree rests back on the

Yoda looks over at Luke. He knows this is only the beginning but saw the power of the force. He recognized the ambition and level of intensity from his father during his days with Obi-Wan. The thought made him nervous, but he knew it was best to say nothing.

"Clear mind, you have. You have great knowledge; do not let your feelings interfere. Begun, our work has." Yoda leaves without saying anything else. He knows Luke will be here tomorrow before Yoda will. His determination to overcome his destiny to turn out like his father has shaped the intensity of his training sessions.

More than anything, Luke wants to prove to his father he can be different. His mind has been clouded by the idea that he could change his father and bring him back to the life he had before. So many times, Obi-Wan has talked him out of this mentality. Leia told him to stop torturing himself over something that cannot be changed. "Our father has chosen his destiny. It is clear he will not change who he is. Luke, we have to accept this in order to be free from the dark side."

"I know, but how do we know he will still chose the dark side? He was confused. He was betrayed. He knows this. We can save him!"

"That is exactly how he changed to the dark side. We can only save ourselves. His path was chosen a long time ago."

Silent, Luke remained in thought for the remainder of that night. To this day, he still thinks of a way to make everything right. Why is everyone telling him to give up? He cannot give up on his father. He knows his father would not have given up on him.

Luke asked his mother about his father once. She refused to talk about him. All he has learned was from Obi-Wan.

After feeling defeated by curiosity, he goes to sleep, waiting for the next day of training. With years of training under his belt, he wonders how much longer until he changes the history of his family, and the universe.

* * *

><p>Leia's last few meetings with rebel commanders have been going well. As Luke is completing his training, she has been learning the workings of the republic.<p>

"All levels of the death star are being monitored on a constant basis. In order to successfully get the plans, we worked on several ways to get you there without being noticed as a rebel. In order to prepare for the worst, we will train for all three scenarios."

"My father will know that I am aboard. He will sense it right away."

"Vader will not be aboard the death star when we plan to get you there. Obi-Wan has been carefully timing this trip. We predict to launch in one week."

"Alright, let's continue."

"The first scenario is to have you board the death star as a storm trooper with others of us with you. It will be like a small army within the main camp. This is the best option." As the commander continues to go through the plans, Leia looks at him, wondering if he understands the anxiety she is feeling. How can everyone expect her to tear apart her family? Although he has made bad choices, she wonders if she will be able to kill her father if it were to come to the worst scenario. Will that be a scenario?

After completing the plans of the second scenario, he pulls through the final option. "This is the worst case, we hope it does not get to this, but it may. We do not have thorough plans of the death star and may not be able to carry through with the disguises. So you will board and take out a storm trooper and don his suit. This may get messy, as you will not be able to follow typical protocol of a storm trooper. It will limit your time aboard."

The other commander, generally silent, stepped in. "We will give you a few days of training with a Jedi. He will teach you how to use a light saber well. I understand your brother has taught you some, but we need you to be well trained with it, as the situation aboard will be highly un-staged."

"I would like to start now. You said we have how many days?"

"Possibly 7 or less."

"So why are we waiting until tomorrow. Every day counts!"

"I understand, let's get started now then."

The Jedi, Zalo-Kig, appears from the hallway. "Are you ready, Leia?"

Ignoring his question, she dives right into the heart of the matter. "Will we be practicing here?"

"No, we will be doing this outside."

The ground is damp from last night's rain. The air is fresh, leaving Leia of memories of back home when she would run outside with Luke. They would throw sticks at each other. She took the light saber given to her and refocused her attention on the buzz the blades make.

His purple blade came out and pointed it towards the ground. As he gave her pointers, she was wondering how it would work. If she missed, she would die, right? What if he let her get a move right, how would she train? She stopped and listened to his lecture. "Now let's begin."

They began to do one hit at a time in three fixed positions. "That's excellent; now let's do that a little faster." After completing the set, he tells her to practice new strikes learned against the small trees outside.

Tree after tree, Leia struck with different positions. After fifteen rounds, she stopped, shut off the saber and turned towards him. They continued with a new lesson and stopped just before the sun went down. Leia sat on one of the tree stumps formed by her. "Reego-Sit, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is on your mind?"

"Did you know my father?"

Reego-Sit paused and looked down.

"What was he like?"

"Leia, I did not know your father. I am sorry I cannot tell you more."

"But you can. You have some feeling. I see it. I need to know before I go on this mission. Will destroying my father really save us all?"

"You have the force, just as I do. Search your feelings. What is right?"

"I don't even know anymore. Luke and I have the power to save us all. We cannot defeat him alone. I know Luke wants to change him and bring him back."

He sat there in silence for a moment then spoke for a brief moment. "Your father has caused so many people pain, including yourself."

"Was it not the first thing you learned, to separate your feelings?"

"It is more than pain. He has destroyed an entire world and created evil so many had no idea existed."

"If you don't know my father, then a simple 'no' will do. You can never be sure of what he has done until you have experienced it yourself." She got up and left.

"Leia wait!" She turned around. He did not know what to say. "I… I will see you tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow" and she left. On her way home, Leia spent time releasing her anger by talking to herself, cursing Reego-Sit out. After she relaxed, she knew he was right but still had no way to deal with the pain. Everyone had something to say about Darth Vader. Soon, she would be facing her father, her enemy, for the first – and final time – of her life.


End file.
